


Precious Things

by casualhibiscus



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Earthquakes, Family, Gen, Ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 14:11:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13591749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualhibiscus/pseuds/casualhibiscus
Summary: Sarada nodded vigorously, selecting a green crayon and scribbling in a grassy field at the bottom of the page. “Yes, Mommy,” she said. “That was when I met Uncle ‘Tachi.”





	Precious Things

**Author's Note:**

> This is an extremely short piece I wrote while taking a break from my other works. It's not the typical sort of thing I write, but the idea wouldn't leave my head. This is intended to be a stand-alone piece.

The earthquake had struck them mercilessly and without warning. It was a rare occurrence for Konoha, and the village was woefully unprepared for the destruction left in its wake. In the days that followed, Sakura would bare witness to a flood of injured patients at the hospital - however, having been seriously hurt herself, she was unable to assist them. Confined to a hospital bed for the remainder of her recovery, she could only observe the chaos from afar.

Miraculously, a final assessment would reveal that despite the scale of devastation, there had been a minimal loss of life. After healing the survivors, Konoha’s main focus went to restoring the homes and businesses it had lost.

And Sakura returned to her daughter.

Sarada’s condition had been quite remarkable. The child was found miles from the quake site without a single scratch on her. No one could explain how this had happened, but Sakura knew better than to question it at the time. She was just grateful for her daughter’s safety.

It was only after her release from the hospital - during which time Ino had looked after Sarada - that Sakura chose to broach the topic.

“Sarada?” she asked gently, kneeling down beside the three year old as she was coloring with crayons.

“Yes, Mommy?” the little girl replied, looking up at her mother with a broad, innocent smile. Sakura’s heart melted at the sight.

“Honey,” she continued, as Sarada’s attention returned to her picture. “Do you remember the earthquake? Right before you went to stay with Auntie Ino?”

Sarada nodded vigorously, selecting a green crayon and scribbling in a grassy field at the bottom of the page. “Yes, Mommy,” she said. “That was when I met Uncle ‘Tachi.”

Sakura froze. Itachi’s name had never been spoken in front of Sarada.

“Who- _who_ did you say you met, honey?” Sakura asked, trying and failing to keep her voice even.

Sarada looked up at her mother with all the self-righteous indignation of a small child. “Uncle ‘Tachi! He saved me from the ‘quake.” She shook her head with exaggerated disappointment as she returned to her drawing. “You should know these things, Mommy!”

Sakura couldn’t help but smile a little at her daughter’s precociousness. Still, the fact remained that she had survived the disaster without so much as a tear in her dress - and there was just no reasonable explanation for that.

Unless…

“Your uncle,” Sakura went on, trying her best to keep the emotion out of her voice. “He protected you?”

“Mmhm!” Sarada nodded, reaching for a blue crayon to fill in the sky. “I felt the ground shaking, but then he picked me up and we went flying! He brought me to the woods and didn’t leave until people found me.”

Sakura let out a strangled noise in the back of her throat, but fortunately Sarada was too absorbed in her work to notice. “I see,” she said finally, her voice thick with repressed tears. “Did he say anything to you while you were in the woods?”

“Uh huh. He said that I’m his niece and that I’m special. He loves me a whole lot and he’s always gonna look out for me.”

“Well,” Sakura cut in, after a moment of awed speechlessness. “If you see him again… Can you tell him I said ‘thank you’?”

“Of course, Mommy!” Sarada chirped, as she put the final touches on her drawing. “And I drew you a picture, so you’ll know if you see him too!” Proudly, she lifted the sheet of paper and turned it to face her mother.

Sakura almost forgot to breathe as she studied the image before her. Despite its predictably childlike style, there was no mistaking the depiction of a man dressed in black, with a long ponytail and deep indentations beneath his eyes.

It was, without a doubt, Uchiha Itachi.

“Mommy!” Sarada whined, lowering the sheet of paper onto the table. “You’re crying!”

“Oh, don’t worry sweetie!” Sakura assured her, as she hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. “Mommy’s okay. She just... really loves you.”

“I love you too, Mommy!” Sarada exclaimed, her concern brushed aside in the easily distracted fashion of a child. She climbed out of her seat and stood next to where Sakura was kneeling, throwing her arms around her mother and giving her a big hug.

Sakura held her daughter close, thinking of how precious Sarada was, and what a blessing her survival had been.

And if she sent out a silent prayer of thankfulness to a man she’d never met - well, that only seemed like the right thing to do.


End file.
